Date:26/04/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/04/26/stories/2007042613010400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

House panel on SDMCs to hold meetings

Special Correspondent

The committee will interact with teachers at three places

BANGALORE: The use and misuse of the School Development Monitoring Committee (SDMC), an important body in the public education system, has come under the spotlight after the death of T. Prema, headmistress of a village school in Gadag district. She committed suicide recently because of alleged harassment by the head of SDMC.

A committee of the Legislative Council on SDMCs will hold meetings with teachers, educationists and members of the committees in Mangalore, Madikeri and Mysore next month to study their functioning.

The committee, headed by L. Hanumanthaiah, held its first meeting on Wednesday and discussed loopholes in the functioning of SDMCs.

It appealed to the public, teachers and members of SDMCs to submit written complaints or suggestions to the committee on the functioning of school panels.

Addressing presspersons after the meeting, Dr. Hanumanthaiah said the committee members would visit 80 schools in various districts to assess the strengths and inadequacies in the functioning of SDMCs.

It would invite deputy commissioners, deputy directors of public instruction and teachers to the meeting in Mangalore on May 7.

The committee was constituted following the death of Prema.